Denture securing means



g 3 1 5 D. D. LEVY 2,715,771

DENTURE SECURING MEANS Filed April 22, 1954 INVENT ATTORNEY United States Patent i DENTURE SECURING MEANS Dudley D. Levy, Mount Vernon, N. Y.

Application April 22, 1954, Serial No. 424,835

8 Claims. (Cl. 32-3) This invention relates to the art of dentures and is more particularly directed to the provision of means for efliciently securing a denture to the mouth. The device of the present invention is adapted to be readily secured to the denture by any suitable means, and has such structural features as to automatically conform to the surfaces of the mouth so as to elfectively secure the denture thereto, and to interlock with the tissue of the mouth shortly after application. The device further massages the gums and readily absorbs stresses and strains incident to normal activity of the user.

These and other advantageous objects, which will appear from the drawings and from the description hereinafter, are accomplished by the structure of my invention, of which an embodiment is illustrated in the drawings. It will be apparent, from a consideration of said drawings and the following description, that the invention may be embodied in other forms suggested thereby, and such other forms as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered within the scope and purview of the instant invention.

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a device embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof, showing the plunger bar portion of the device secured to a disc member which in turn is to be secured to the denture,

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a device in compressed position, massaging the gums responsive to pressure,

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a denture showing the manner in which units of devices embodying the invention may be secured thereto, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the device, showing the manner in which the tissue of the mouth enters the device shortly after application, and the lower end of the wall portion of the device, normally downwardly disposed, is rotated upwardly by the tissue entering the device so as to interlock therewith.

A device embodying the invention is shown in Fig. l as comprising a substantially flat roof portion 14 to be secured to a denture (such as shown at D in Fig. 4 by way of illustration only' of a typical denture to which the device may be applied). Such dentures are conventionally made in upper and lower units, to each of which the device of this invention is equally applicable, being secured thereto at one or more points, four units embodying the invention being shown secured to the denture D in Fig. 4 by way of example. Said units may be secured to the denture by any suitable means; in the drawing they are shown applied to a denture by being received within socket portions S formed in said denture. Said socket portions may have interlocking means such as internal threads for engagement with complementary means such as the externally threaded ring 11 suitably formed on or secured to the device, as, for example, by cementing a disc 12 to the plunger bar portion bar 13 and ring 11.

The device of the invention comprises the aforementioned roof portion 14 to be secured to the denture and a wall portion 15 depending marginally therefrom and 2,715,771 Patented Aug. 23, 1955 preferably connected thereto by the shoulder portion 16. The shoulder portion 16 is preferably pre-weakened, for example, by forming the same substantially thinner than the roof portion (as in Fig. 1) and the wall portion is preferably disposed downwardly outwardly (Fig. 1) so that when the device is compressed, the shoulder portion will flex and yield readily to enable the roof portion 14 to move downwardly to substantially the position shown in Fig. 3 without caving-in of the wall portion. An inwardly directed sealing ledge 17 is secured to or formed unitary with the wall portion 15, said sealing ledge being formed (Fig. l) to point downwardly and inwardly relative to the roof portion. The outer face of the ledge 17 and the wall portion 15 define an abrupt lateral shoulder 18 at their point of juncture, and said wall and ledge define, interiorly of the device, a substantially right angle portion 19 as shown in Fig. 1 at such point. This facilitates the curling of the ledge portion 17 shortly after application of the device to the mouth, as shown in Fig. 5. The position of the device shown in Fig. 5 is usually achieved within the matter of a few minutes after disposition of the denture bearing the device on the gums, creating a suction effect and drawing the gum tissue inwardly of the device, into the chamber 26 defined by the roof 14, side wall 15 and inwardly directed ledge 17 of the device. In moving thereinto, the tissue rotates the inwardly directed ledge 17 from the normal position thereof shown in Fig. l (at which said inwardly directed ledge is pointed downwardly at an acute angle 21 to the longitudinal axis of the roof portion 14) and upwardly of the device (Fig. 5). The tissue moving inwardly over the ledge portion 17 rotates the latter and fills the space intermediate the ledge and wall portions, thus locking the device in place.

There are two points of sealing the tissue to the device which preclude the entrance of foreign matter thereinto, namely the external shoulder portion 18 and the inwardly pointed edge 22 of ledge portion 17 The device is preferably made of resilient material, such as rubber or other suitable material, the parts being so proportioned that preferably the roof portion 14 is substantially thicker than the ledge and wall portions thereof.

Roof portion 14 may be made of the same thickness as the shoulder portion 16, blending therewith, and in such case might be hardened or otherwise formed relatively more rigid than the shoulder portion, to attain the beneficial effects of the relatively weakened shoulder portion above mentioned. Shoulder portion 16 might be specially softened without specially softening the equally thick roof portion, thus retaining the beneficial effects above mentioned. Or, if desired, the roof portion may be -'formed of the same thickness as the shoulder portion and of the same relative rigidity; in such case some of the beneficial efiects of the relatively weakened shoulder portion above mentioned would not be attained. Such changes and others, in view of the present disclosure of the invention, shall be deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the invention and covered thereby. A securing part such as plunger bar 25 is formed unitarily with or secured to the roof portion 14 and extends thereabove. The device may be shown, as in Fig. 4, of generally circular cross-section; it may be of oval or other crosssection if desired. The bar 25 is preferably disposed centrally of the roof portion, whereby, on compression of device, the pre-weakened shoulder portion 16 will enable the roof portion to move downwardly and to the position shown in Fig. 3, substantially in registered alignment within the sealing ledge 17.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for securing a denture to the mouth, comprising a substantially flat roof portion to be secured to the denture, a wall portion depending marginally therefrom and an inwardly directed sealing ledgeat, the lower end of the Wall portion to contact the mouth, said sealing ledge being pointed downwardly and inwardly relative to the roof'portjion, and defining therewith and with the wait portion, a chamber, said device being made of resilient material. 1 V p 2. Ina device for securing a denture to the mouth, as set forth in claim '1, said roof ,portion being Substantially thickerthan the wall portion.

. 3. In .a device ior securinga denture to the mouth, as set forth: in claim 1, said wall portion being directed downwardlyand outwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the roof portion. V I

4. .A device for securing a denture to the mouth, as

i set forth in claim 1, :the parts being so proportioned that when the device is compressed on application of pressure 7 theretc,.;the roofportion may be moved to a position in substantially .registeredalignment with the sealing ledge. 5; In a devicefor securing'a denture to the mouth, as set forthtin claim I, said sealing ledge having a Pointed free'end.

1 6. In a device for securing a denture to the mouth, as

,setforth in claim 1,,saidsealing ledge having a free edge which is inwardly pointed, and defining, with the wall portion of the device, an abruptly shouldered portion at their point of juncture. Y

7. In a device for securing a denture to the mouth, as set forth in claim 6, said sealing ledge having a pointed free end so that when the .device is applied to the mouth, the gum tissue will enter'the device intermediate-the wall, roof and ledge, and the midshouldered portion and the pointed free end of the ledge will provide sealing points therefor.

8. In a device for securing a denture to the mouth, as

' set forth in claim 1, a plu ger bar on said roof portion,

adapted to be secured to'the denture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Rud et al. Ma1'i 17, 1925 Petry May 26, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS 

